Helensburgh & District News

The Illawarra has again failed to meet national air quality targets and the problem lies with the NSW government's failure to adopt and enforce stricter air pollution guidelines, Greens MP and health spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said in response to recently released figures.
"Since 2006 the Illawarra has recorded a higher number of particle pollution breaches than Sydney and it's unacceptable that Illawarra residents are left to cop a larger dose of pollution than others in NSW," Ms Rhiannon said.
"The Illawarra is shouldering the burden of poor air quality created by its heavy industry base and being located down wind from a very polluted Sydney.
“This is on top of decades of fallout from its heavy industry and mining, power and transport industries have all taken their toll and dirtied the region's air.
Ms Rhiannon said NSW has been slow to adopt stricter standards and has fallen out of step with new guidelines set by the World Heath Organisation and the European Union.
"The government needs to assist with the transition to cleaner, more sustainable industries in the Illawarra, invest in world class public and freight transport and tighten emission standards for vehicles,” Ms Rhiannon said.
"The Illawarra has been an economic powerhouse for the government but they turn a blind eye to the resulting casualty of poor air quality."